New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-05-24
FRENCH NAVAL MANGUVRES.
IMPORTANT EXPERIMENTS WITH IRON
CLADS, CRUISERS AND TORPEDO-BOATs.

On May IA the French Navy will begin the long
talked-of manGuvres with ironclads and torpedo
boats. On close examination of the individuai
ships composing the two squadrons 1t would be
found that they present the three types OF ships IN
use in the great navies viz ronclads, cruisers and
torpedo boats, but it Is easy to see that In war
time the composition of the two groups would be
very dissmilar The first, the ironclad group, has
not cruisers enough; and the torpedo group is in
sufficiently protected by big ships
Such naval display has seldom been made for
the study of tactics. and 1t may be thought strange
that the French Republic should bring so many
ships of war together in the Mediterranean at q
time when circumstances might oblige her TO d.
fend the straits. For this reason the course OF the
Minister. Admiral Aube, has been severely crit-
cised, but. as you know, he is the chief of the
school which said: lie microbe tue lie geant'
("the torpedo has killed armor y.
The forces which are to be engaged will be
divided into two groups. The first, forming with
the evolutionary squadron permanent institu-
tion which is excellent military school for Off
GERS and crew, will be under command of Vice-Ad-
mira Peyron, whose staff officer is the young and
clever Captain Dupont The ships Of the squadron
are rs follows:
IRoScLAD SQUADRON
1roncladsi Colbert. flagship, commanded by Captain
Marechal 5000 tons; ~ guns complement, 743 men,
ncnding officers; speed Ia knots wooden ana opso-
Amiral Duperro Captain Barrera; 11.lOO tons; 10
guns; complement, 662 spool, IA knots; steel good
| Courbot Captain do Malgrct, 0.70O tonsi ID guns
complement 002 speed ID knots steel; tho best ship
Redoutablc, Captain do Plano o.2o0 tons Ii guns
complement 7od speed 10 knots the first steel IRON
Devastation, Flag.hip, RearAdrniral Deyarennel
knots complement. 082 steel.
Richciou Captain Paragon; o,loO tons, 10 guns
complement. 1905 speed, IL knots wooden ana
suGcrn. Captain de la Bedolerei $500 tonsi II
obsolete
Indomptable. Captain Leclerc 1900 tonsi guns
complement. 373 speed 10 e knots steel new
Trident Captain Blanc; $500 tons 10 guns COM
plement, 727 speed, IL knots wooden and obsolete
Dispatch Boats: HirOndelle exlmperial Yacht; Com
mander Dorlado des sarts; 1000 tons; IL guns; com
IA 'pSSS 10 HS05s woOaS so ,ons gums
complement 1871 speed Is Knots steei very last Out
Condor torpedo cruiser. Commander RegLaultj 1.272
tons; guns complement, 1874; speed 1873 kno's
Coueuvrne torpedo catcher, Lieutenant Chocheprat
| 800 tons; 4 guns; speed 1879 knots steel
| Every ronclad has t0rpedoes, HOlchKlss rcPeauus
guns and electric lights.
TORPEDO FLorILLA
The torpedo ao,illa is commanded by Rear Admiral
| Brown de COlstoun aud distributed rs follows
Cruisers: Desaix, flagship, Captain Des Poresi LOO
| tons; guns; complement, 1885, speed, Ii khotsi
Vfars captain de Courthlle 400 tons; Is guns;
| complement 26I ; speed. % knots; wooden.
| 10 guns; complement 2O7; speed. Is knots; wooden.
segne.ay, Captain 10 Bourgugnon- Duperre; 1000
| tons ) guns; complement, 2O5; speed. Ia Knots;
wooden.
The lronclad coast guard Fuminant had been
commissioned as one of tho torpedo fotIlla but she
| struck upon unknown rock near Brest, was
| badly damaged and has been replaced by the WI
| lars. ,, ,o,
hospital ship between Cochin hi9a and Ioulon. Is
detailed to tho notula as grpedo-ship. frcnehrnon
| call her "Mere Gigogue." mere nourrise wet
nurse; hut the sailors call hera central grocery"
a. sho IL a supply vessel for provisions aud coal 10
foreign squadrons. The particulars of tho Anna
mito arc as followsi b,2O0 tons 4 guns !
complement. 81 meuI speed. I5i2 Knots
lioutonants form tho most important part Of the
hotila Sogonteon are Of thriy-three metres and
forty-nine tons with two torpedocs each; three
are of iorty-one metres and seyenty-fve tons with
two torpedoes each The first are the boats which
were selected In 1885 for the manGuvres. Ii IL
possible that at the last moment some torpedo boats
Of thirty-fve metros VIII be Joined to the hotla,
but their preliminary trials may not be completed
in time. The thirty, iye,netIe boats o. sttyiionr
metre boats. All are ses-going but not sea-
worthy aud good only for coast defence and not
i' The concentration OF the torpedo boats was easy
From Chorbourg. Brest. L'Orent aud Rochefort thcy
reached Toulon in twelve days in favorable
weather though "a you have doubtless been In
formed so. 81 was run into by her consort, No, o.
of the Porugucso coast ana " WRECKED &c aL,, Inc Inc
several irouclads Of Admiral Peyron,s squadron
were not ready at that date; All the French men
| 0f-Wn
fsh-torpodoes. For tho purpose of training the OIL
GERS and crews tho two groups have made several
preliminary man9uyres; Inc torpedo rOtila
cruiscd of tho coast OF Provence. between Ioulon
and Nice and occasionally practised firing tJrpe-
does The Admiral was not satisfied with the re-
suits. In Hyeres Road, in fine weather, many tor.
pedoes were detected, confirming the opinion that
| the hand torpedo is TO be preferred.
The operations TO be conducted from May to sep
T;psf-It is necessary to reinforce tho Algerian
garrsons TO resist any attack OF the enemy. An
onad squadron Tn 'a to rTm
, the passage. In this operation four ironciads
will represent the Transports, four others
/, nv the dispatch boats. Tho torpedo division will
take its position tho coast OF Corsica In AJacco
If the weatheris bad, tho squadron will pass with
ont meeting any torpedo-boats; In case OF fine
weather the ironclads will make false demonstra-
. lions before attempting tho passage, zoo miles
long AS the torpedo boats cannot remain ,r q. seq
70 twelve or thirteen knots the ironc lads w III pass
easily. The conditions were purposely made easy
for the small craft by Admiral Aube. who Is deter
mined 10 drop the ronclads Ii Is strange that the
: chief of navy should endeayor to demonstrate
y that his best sh ps arc good for nothing.
The second and third are still more extraordinary
The second that the squadron shall sail IRON
a Toulon with the purpose OF pushing through the
, Straits Of Gibraltar, and that the torpedo dlvi.
slon shall not only try to prevent the passage but
D shall pursue far as Brest. Thus the larae
decked launches arc to pursue ships OF s,o0o &c 20
| 10 600 tons which have coal enough TO run S.OOu
miles with speed Of ten knots, and can easily Tor
voyage as short the one from Brest to Touon say
!, | 800 miles steam twelve knots, 1.-THE maximum
. speed. after few hours steaming, of the torpedo
boats of thirtythree metres. The INCORPORATION i
the reverse of the second. The squadron is to sal
from Brest, and the torpedo division will endcayo
10 prevent It's passing through the Straits OF GID
10 raltar and pursue IL as far as Touon. These tive
great operations are to take place respectively II
= | June and July.
In August the last manGuvre Will begin; ant
ton the railway runs close to the shore from which
70 il ia accessible and ITS destruction would be cas-,
y TO An aggressive foe. IL would not DO difficult 4
10 blow M some tunnels and perhaps oven the Pom
. du Var" which is clearly seen from the littoIal
~ The object of the August maneuvre Is to deter
~ mine whether IL would be difficult 10 defend tn
70 railway, the only that France possesses for
Inulnn 10 tho frOnter I'M